Halong Bay

After a short flight over the mountains from Vientiane to Hanoi, I met Tracy (who arrived from London) at Hanoi airport. Following a day in Hanoi - which is another bustling, busy Asian city, where you risk being mown down by a scooter every time you step out of your hotel door, we headed out to Halong Bay on a three day boat trip tour. Halong Bay is many people's must do recommendation for Vietnam and we soon discovered why, as we cruised out towards the 3,000 limestone outcrops dotted about this sheltered bay on the edge of the South China Sea. The scenery was once again (for this trip) picturesque and the second day was even better as we got off the junk and into kayaks to explore the shallower waters, coves, beaches and lagoons amongst the limestone cliffs. After that a cool refreshing bathe in the clear green waters off the boat, then a night on Cat Ba Island and some more great Vietnamese food.